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a-fantasy-lover-surfing-the-net · 3 months

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Costume Cdramas I watched in 2023

This was my first year in Dramaland (both Chinese and Korean). And I have to say that for the most part I have enjoyed my journey in discovering the dramas. This list includes dramas that were released before 2023 as well.

7. Starry Love

It is a story of twin sisters - the gentle and kind Liguang Qing Kui and the smart and cunning Liguang Ye Tan. Qing Kui is betrothed to the heveanly prince and Ye Tan is betrothed to the demon prince however mistakenly they switch places and have to navigate the heavenly realm and demon realm alone relying on their wits. For me the strongest aspect of the drama was the bond between the sisters. It focuses more on the romance of Ye Tan and Xuan Shang and the heavenly realm which I was not much interested in so I skipped through a lot of it. However, I did enjoy the romance of Qing Kui and Chao Feng and the demon realm story which was unfortunately not given enough screen time. As the heavenly realm part of the drama failed to get me invested in both its characters and story, I didn't enjoy this drama a lot.

6. Love you Seven Times

Xiang Yun, a fairy working in the marriage pavilion and Chu Kong, the God of War are accidentally entangled by the red thread of fate and go through love tribulations. I enjoyed their romance and the story was also good. However, I feel it would have turned out better if the drama had more episodes so that the tribulations could be more immersive and impactful. Also, it had less action than I expected from a Xianxia. It was still a fun watch for me.

5. Ancient Love Poetry

This is an epic story of gods and love spanning thousands of years. I will not even attempt to give a primer for its story. The romance, story, action everything is great and it also has really good secondary romances and friendships are also good. The problem I had with this drama is that I enjoyed the first God realm arc a lot however in the second arc I couldn't get fully invested in Houchi and Qing Mu. Also, as a novice to xianxias I had some trouble following the story from the second arc onwards which meant I couldn't enjoy it as much. I still consider it a must watch for xianxia fans but its not for newbies that's for sure.

P.S.- I was devastated with Yue Mi's death so I'm happy that we'll be getting the continuation of her story with Moonlight Mystique.

4. Love between Fairy and Devil

It is a drama about Orchid, a low ranking fairy and Dongfang Qing Cang, the Moon Supreme of the Moon Tribe who are enemies of the immortal fairies, and their forbidden romance. The romance (of both the main and second couple) is really good, the story is compelling and the dynamic between the main and secondary cast is enjoyable. I found the action somewhat lacking. This is a really enjoyable drama especially for those getting into xianxias as the story while not simple, is easy to follow.

3. Romance between Tiger and Rose

In this drama, Chen Xiao Qian, a screenwriter transported into her own story, becoming the Third Princess Chen Qian Qian, a side character. Armed with the knowledge of her own script in which her character is soon to be killed in the third episode by Prince Han Shuo, the male lead, Xiao Qian is determined to stay alive and return to her own world. It is an excellent romcom with great chemistry and fun bickering between the main leads. While the story is straight forward for the most part, it does offer some commentary on gender discrimination and gender norms. It is a really fun and a must watch and has great rewatch value.

2. Story of Kunning Palace

Jiang Xuening is the selfish and ambitious daughter of a court official who ruthlessly uses her charm and cunning for becoming empress. Her schemes lead to the downfall of the royal family and the ruin of both her childhood sweetheart Yan Lin and the once incorruptible Zhang Zhe. Desperate and full of regret, she pleads to exchange her life for the freedom of Zhang Zhe. She awakens in her 18-year old self, who has yet to enter the palace with a chance to do better this time. Even though she vows to steer clear of the palace and its court intrigues, she becomes entangled in them anyways. Apart from Jiang Xue Ning the main cast includes : Xie Wei - JXN's teacher and a ruthless political mastermind, Zhang Zhe - an upright and dedicated officer in the Ministry of Justice, Yan Lin - loyal heir of the Yan family who is in love with JXN, Shen Zhi Yi - the optimistic and resilient princess. It’s so rare for a drama to combine so many great things - a competent and smart female lead, gripping script, top tier looks, chemistry (with the male lead and the secondary leads), steady pace, no childishness, very happy ending. All the actors did an amazing job, in particular Bai Lu who embodied JXN and depicted her thoughts and feelings in a way that the audience could connect with JXN and root for her. The character arcs for the entire main cast were satisfying and done beautifully. I only wished that they showed the past life in one go and with some more scenes for JXN's character growth to be more impactful and that they removed the bright spotlight aimed directly at the camera which took me out of those scenes. This is definitely a must watch for costumed cdrama lovers.

1. Till the end of the moon

Li Susu, an immortal time travels 500 years into the past to prevent the ascension of the Devil god, who goes on to destroy the world in the future. It's a story of love and hate, good and evil, redemption and damnation. The characters are very well conceptualized and depicted beautifully by talented actors, stunning costumes, really good hair and makeup, and great cinematography. The amazing production and set design along with impressive visual effects and CGI really immerse the audience in the world of TTEOTM. Their romance is my ultimate enemies to lovers pairing. It has just the right amount of fighting, messiness, animosity and angst for me. Their visuals, their chemistry, their acting and the story everything was so great. Who else has three epic weddings in one drama? For the most part the story was gripping, progressed at a good pace and conveyed many themes that become apparent on rewatches. While some were disappointed by the ending to me it was clear that they reunite once again and live happily. I am still not able to move on from this couple and drama.

Full Review of Till the end of the moon here.

You can also check out my modern cdrama rankings.

As I'm still a newbie to cdramas, I welcome your recommendations.

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